Last month I posted about Elise Gravel’s I Want a Monster, and I loved her work so much I had to visit her website (which, by the way, is available in both English and French. Cool, eh?) to see what other books she had in the pipeline. When I saw that …
I love books with visual humor—especially when the jokes sneak up on me over multiple readings. Take, for example, Rob Biddulph’s debut picture book Blown Away (HarperCollins, 2015). The first time I read it, I was taken with the charming art and simple rhymes that propel the story forward. And …
Summer is in full swing, and there’s no better place to experience it than in a garden. And there’s no better book to inspire getting your hands in the dirt than ‘Dig In!‘ with art by Mary Peterson and words by Cindy Jenson-Elliott. The story opens in a garden with a little boy who …
A few months ago, two fiction picture books with same title, Are We There Yet?, released in the spring. Since we’re in the middle of the summer vacation season, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at these two books about a long car ride. And to get into …
Hannah E. Harrison, author and illustrator of Extraordinary Jane and Bernice Gets Carried Away, offers readers another heartfelt book later this summer. It’s called My Friend Maggie (Dial, August 9). Paula and Maggie have been friends forever. Paula thinks Maggie is the best—until mean girl Veronica says otherwise. Suddenly, Paula …
This book just looks magical. The Bear and the Piano by David Litchfield looks and reads like a classic fairy tale and I find that really refreshing and appealing. I want to dive into David Litchfield’s gorgeous, light emitting paintings. This beautiful book reminds me of many of the classic picture books of yore ( …
Take note, picture book lovers: There’s a new book in town. And you could win a copy. It’s PENNY & JELLY: SLUMBER UNDER THE STARS by the wonderful Maria Gianferrari who is so busy writing books she hasn’t had much time to slumber under the stars or anywhere else. We’ll …
Sometimes I get so focused on analyzing a picture book’s story and art – what I love about each, what doesn’t work for me, etc. – that I forget the ultimate readers. Kids! Not all littles love every book out there, naturally, but I think there are some stories with more …
Arthur Levine’s new picture book, What a Beautiful Morning, illustrated by Katie Kath, launches on August 8. It is a stellar example of treating a story concerning a serious issue with tenderness and joy. Full disclosure; this review may be biased for a couple of reasons. First of all, I consider Arthur a …
Our son Jackson graduated from high school on Saturday. Cause for celebration, yes, but it also has me feeling a bit nostalgic. I love, respect and admire this young man who towers over me, and love that we can have adult conversations about all sorts of things—from news headlines to …